Merc's New BiTurbo S63 AMG Will Embarrass A Caterham At The Lights

Mercedes’ new hot S-Class weighs more than two tonnes but sprints to 62mph faster than a Caterham Supersport, in what we can only assume is some kind of special deal Mercedes has brokered with physics.

Only two weeks after the launch of the standard S-Class the AMG has been unveiled to the world with – wait for it – 664lb.ft of torque from its 5.5-litre BiTurbo V8. That’s 900Nm for those metric-speakers amongst us, and when you’re packing that under your right boot there’s not too much on the road that will hang on to your tailpipes.

There’s 577bhp to play with as well, which is about 40 more than the old S 63 had. Just 5500rpm is all you need for full bananas thanks to clever dual turbocharging. It means that 0-62mph is killed off in a staggering 4.4-second cloud of tyre smoke, unless you live in Europe and you go for the 4MATIC four-wheel drive model that drops the figure to four seconds dead. In a car that weighs roughly the same as Buckingham Palace. Sadly we're not getting that one in the UK.

That monumental peak torque figure is yours from a diesel-esque 2250rpm, and if the standard S-Class is any guide the AMG version will be as gentlemanly as you could possibly hope for, or at least under the circumstances while its extreme acceleration rearranges your facial features. Top speed is limited at the moment to 155mph, but if history repeats itself you can bet your wedding tackle on there being some kind of performance upgrade pack with up to 1000Nm and a top speed similar to Concorde’s.

Merc has done its best to cut weight where it could, with a composite oil pan and an all-aluminium crank case, and compared to less luxurious fast cars like the Audi RS 7, the S 63, at 2070kg with a 68kg driver, 90% full fuel tank and 7kg of luggage, is actually surprisingly lightweight. It’s rammed full of the latest safety gear too.

You get 19-inch wheels as standard and they’re now special light-alloy units that reduce unsprung weight. Bling is officially on the options list, too, with one choice being matt black wheels with a “high sheen” rim flange. Everybody loves a high sheen rim flange.

Prices? Well, if you have to ask you’re clearly not the sort of oil magnate who’s likely to buy one. No official word on money from Mercedes yet, but expect figures well north of £100,000.